Uber says it's exploring sale of former Sears building in Oakland

Uber is now planning to sell the former Sears building in downtown Oakland that it purchased in 2015 and planned to turn an East Bay global headquarters. This photo shows a rendering of the exterior of what Uber had planned to do with the building. less

Uber is now planning to sell the former Sears building in downtown Oakland that it purchased in 2015 and planned to turn an East Bay global headquarters. This photo shows a rendering of the exterior of what ... more

Photo: Steelblue And Gensler

Photo: Steelblue And Gensler

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Uber is now planning to sell the former Sears building in downtown Oakland that it purchased in 2015 and planned to turn an East Bay global headquarters. This photo shows a rendering of the exterior of what Uber had planned to do with the building. less

Uber is now planning to sell the former Sears building in downtown Oakland that it purchased in 2015 and planned to turn an East Bay global headquarters. This photo shows a rendering of the exterior of what ... more

Photo: Steelblue And Gensler

Uber says it's exploring sale of former Sears building in Oakland

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Uber is planning to sell the former Sears building in downtown Oakland, which it bought two years ago for $123.5 million and where it once intended to place up to 3,000 employees, the company confirmed on Friday.

“As we look to strengthen our financial position so we can better serve riders and drivers for the long term, we’re exploring several options for Uptown Station, including a sale,” Uber wrote in a statement. “We remain committed to serving Oakland and our broader hometown Bay Area community.”

The ride-hailing giant is expected to offer the building at 1955 Broadway for roughly what it paid for it and abandon plans to put workers there, the San Francisco Business Times reported.

Uber had already drastically curtailed its plans for the 380,000-square-foot building near the 19th Street BART station, saying in March that it would move only a few hundred employees there. Uber plans to consolidate many of its local employees in a new headquarters building in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood.

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The shared ride firm is now considering property in San Francisco. Tom Vacar reports.

Uber bought 1955 Broadway in 2015 from developer Lane Partners, which purchased the seven-story property the year before from Sears for $24.25 million. The developer and an architecture firm undertook what was to be a $40 million overhaul of the former department store.

The Greenlining Institute, an Oakland nonprofit, had initially pushed for Uber to provide community benefits when the firm moved workers to Oakland, such as hiring locally and guaranteeing employees a living wage. But the group later launched a “No to Uber in Oakland” campaign, fearing the project would cause displacement of residents and lead to gentrification.

“We started No Uber Oakland because we worried Uber could have negative effects on a city already struggling with gentrification, and because we never saw evidence that Uber had any real commitment to Oakland, despite occasional pleasant rhetoric. Clearly, that second part at least was right,” Orson Aguilar, president of Greenlining, said in a statement Thursday night.

“Still, we never gave up hope that Uber would sit down and work with the Oakland community to create something that would be good both for the company and for Oaklanders,” Aguilar said. “Uber, sadly, never had any interest in a real partnership with Oakland.”

Uber officials stressed that the company remains committed to support Oakland, noting that it has donated $70,000 to help ensure every graduate of Oakland Unified School District can attend college, and that it has given away nearly $30,000 in free rides to a variety of Oakland organizations through its Community Credits Program.